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The Ghosts of Iron Bottom Sound by Sandy Nelson

The Ghosts of Iron Bottom Sound starts with eleven year old Paddy Peterson being haunted by ghosts from a book about the wrecks of warships sunk during World War Two. When a teacher gives his class a project to write about a battle in World War Two, he finds out why the ghosts are haunting him, they want his grandfather to tell his story.

His grandfather, Pat O’Connor was originally from Australia and was one of the sailors on HMAS Canberra when it fought and was lost in the Battle of Savo Island, the first naval battle at Guadalcanal. He lost friends on the ship and was himself haunted by the nightmares of the battle. Will he be willing to tell his story? If he does will it appease the ghosts? Or do they want something more?

Iron Bottom Sound is the name given to Savo Sound by Allied sailors, following the battle, because of the number of ships lost there. It lies between Guadalcanal, Savo Island and Florida Island in the Solomon Islands. Dozens of ships and planes were sunk there during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942 and 1943. All the historical content in The Ghosts of Iron Bottom Sound is true, and there a comprehensive set of appendices including recommended reading at the back of the book. Guadalcanal was one of the main turning points of the war in the Pacific. The frigate HMAS Canberra II, scuttled of the Victoria coast as a dive site was named after the original heavy cruiser that features in this book.

Sandy Nelson is a teacher and mother, living in Twizel. She has an interest in history and war history, which is shared by her son. When her son was 10, he read a book by renowned underwater researcher and undersea explorer Robert Ballard entitled Lost Ships of Guadalcanal. It was a stunning, yet sad underwater photo of HMAS Canberra that sparked Sandy’s interest in this ship and inspired her to write this novel.

Readers will notice that this novel has been written in three separate parts, with the grandfather’s story kept separate. It was writer, Fleur Beale’s idea and works very well with this novel. The Ghosts of Iron Bottom Sound shows in dramatic fashion what war veterans went through. Why some don’t want to share their stories or go to ANZAC parades and also the lasting impact war has on people. It is a powerful and emotional novel for those aged ten and over.

Sandy has already written a sequel called ‘The Lucky Ship’ which is waiting to be published. She is also working on a story about a haunted hut at the bottom of Aoraki/ Mt Cook

RRP $19.99
Published and distributed by HarperCollins Publishers
 

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